Aspire to Perspire, or Something Like That

Helloo again.

Today I’m to write about some words of wisdom I’ve come across that speak to me. Though naturally, you might find me laughing my head off to motivational speaker-centered jokes, the truth is somewhere in the midst of all the aspire to acquire and respire, you find some words that never leave you.

These are three of them that have stayed with me, and that I go back to remind myself ever so often.

1. Advocate for yourself.

We usually say ‘life is too short’ when we’re referring to enjoying life’s pleasures, but I think life is too short to not ask for what you want. Not the toned down, more socially acceptable version, but exactly what you want.

From jobs to friendships to romantic relationships, part of life is negotiating for what you really want. There’s a tendency to bend and twist ourselves to fit into situations, because we fear that what we’re handed might be the best thing, but another best thing is really around the corner if you can just pick up yourself.

Listen to yourself, and your intuition. What do you want?

2. The hack to overthinking.

For someone who excels at weaving complex nonexistent storylines in my head, some advice I read written by a monk changed my life for the better. 

Being a seasoned over thinker himself, he learned to stop his thought-up scenarios from overwhelming him by simply following them to their logical conclusion. He would think, “Then what? Then what?” and he wouldn’t stop until he had the full picture.

Now, when I catch myself overthinking, I ask myself, “then what?” and repeat the question for as long as I need to. What happens after that thing you fear the most? It would seem that life goes on.

3. Never compromise on the things you love and enjoy.

There is an understated importance in having things you really love and enjoy, and protecting them from social influence.

These things could range from activities you enjoy, to books you love, to movies that are dear to your heart.

For example, I really like Twilight series: from the books to the movies. They are generally rated poorly: the books are said to have a weak plot and the movies feature bad acting, but… I really like them. Will I have a rethink because professional critics find them unsatisfactory? The answer is absolutely not. Protect the things you love, and fiercely.  In the end they might be the very things that save us.

What are some of the wisest thoughts you’ve heard? Let’s hear it!

Thanks for reading! See you tomorrow.